Gaming & Culture —

X-Com returns, morphs into an FPS

The classic turn-based strategy series X-Com is getting re-imagined by the …

Though the X-Com series is well-regarded for its tactical, turn-based strategy gameplay, 2K Games has decided to go in a completely different direction with the latest entry in the franchise. Developed by 2K Marin, the team behind BioShock 2, the new X-Com will be a first-person shooter.

"With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with XCOM they will re-imagine and expand the rich lore of this revered franchise," 2K president Christoph Hartmann said. "Players will explore the world of XCOM from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride."

Aside from a single screenshot, featuring a curiously retro looking spaceship, no actual gameplay details have been revealed at this point. However, on the game's official site, the developers have addressed the series' shift from turn-based strategy to FPS, saying, "By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world."

The game will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PC, though we don't yet have a release window.

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"By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing [strikethrough]and plotting its way[/strikethrough] into our [strikethrough]world[/strikethrough] a*s."

The original X-Com was a delight to play because it was a turn-based strategy game with an atmosphere that reeled you in and kept you hooked for hour after hour! What it was *not* was another generic FPS, and that was the beauty and charm of the game, and of course explained its incredible popularity at the time. It was original and set up a mood that captivated me so much so that I have never forgotten it--and never seen its like since.

What's wrong with these publishers these days? Why does everything have to be so cookie-cutter in concept? They should be looking at the original games and what made them so great instead of simply filching a popular name title just to be able to laminate it with another ho-hum FPS veneer.

"The player would start with a group of 12 troopers, unable to recruit more as the game progressed. Also unlike most of the previous games, especially the first, X-COM: UFO Defense, most of the squaddies would be female (in the initial two games, females comprised about 25-40% of the squad members). This was done apparently in attempt to appeal to the mostly male gamer demographic."

They are completely just skinning the Bioshock engine... That is the only reason to take a game that people loved because of its mechanics, throw out the mechanics, and then pretend that there was a reason to use that property to begin with.

The original X-Com was a delight to play because it was a turn-based strategy game with an atmosphere that reeled you in and kept you hooked for hour after hour! What it was *not* was another generic FPS, and that was the beauty and charm of the game, and of course explained its incredible popularity at the time. It was original and set up a mood that captivated me so much so that I have never forgotten it--and never seen its like since.

What's wrong with these publishers these days? Why does everything have to be so cookie-cutter in concept? They should be looking at the original games and what made them so great instead of simply filching a popular name title just to be able to laminate it with another ho-hum FPS veneer.

If they ever did this game right--it would be a mind bender. So sad.

Sounds like you've somehow got a pre-release copy of the game. Otherwise, how would you know whatsoever whether it is "generic," "cookie-cutter," or "ho-hum?" The mere indication that it is in first-person perspective has nothing to do with that.

They also made a horrible space sim and later horrible hybrid rts/tbs game that seemingly was some other game involving aliens and a city that they decided to name xcom3 for some bizarre reason. I suspect this will be a standard FPS+story with some weapons and nothing akin to the original tech tree with it's research & collect/capture+research forks or the geoscape monitoring+base building for radar/ship coverage+etc while trying to juggle what you visit without stretching yourself too thin.

Otherwise, how would you know whatsoever whether it is "generic," "cookie-cutter," or "ho-hum?" The mere indication that it is in first-person perspective has nothing to do with that.

There are very strong doubts that it will capture the essence of X-com. If it did it wouldn't be a fun FPS to play anyways. You'd run around in the dark with no armor and get killed in 1 shot the moment you stepped into the open by a green blob of plasma from some sight unseen. With some perseverance you'll get to a point where all of the sudden you lose control of your character only to see yourself priming a grenade, sticking it in your mouth, and running towards your teammates.

Uh.. regardless of what it is or isn't I have a few first impressions:

1) Don't even bother advertising your site if all you have is a broken face pic that looks like a rip-off of a Salvador Dali painting and a screenshot that looks like it was rendered 5 years ago

2) This screams laziness: "We already have an FPS engine. We *don't* have a turn-based strategy engine. It'll be easier this way."

3) Bioshock 2 was really not that impressive. It was an unnecessary sequel to an already great game with very little real change and a mediocre multiplayer (that felt like it was forced just to have something on the table for multiplayer) that left me feeling like 2K did it just for a quick buck... which makes me wonder if that's why they went FPS with this game.

I'll reserve actual judgment until I see the real game, but needless to say, first impressions are not leaving me excited about this title.

Sounds like you've somehow got a pre-release copy of the game. Otherwise, how would you know whatsoever whether it is "generic," "cookie-cutter," or "ho-hum?" The mere indication that it is in first-person perspective has nothing to do with that.

Well, come on! If the game elements had remained unchanged in that it was a turn-based strategy, sci-fi thriller with a moody atmosphere of which the combat elements only sufficed to heighten the suspense--then I'd not be complaining. Point was, the original XComs had no need of an FPS veneer in order to blow away most of us who played and loved the game at the time so long ago.

But the fact is that if games today aren't "FPS" in character then most of them don't see the light of day. We need XCom revisited with updated graphics and sound and some changes to game play that would enhance the series. I downloaded the demos of the "squad-based" attempts to borrow the xCom story a few years ago--and found the result to fall far short of the original--just nothing like it at all. No thanks--the original remains the best of them all--halfhearted attempts to "change it into something better" have always failed because in the process the publishers have thrown out the baby with the batch water. Sure, you get "a game" called XCom--but you just don't get XCom at all, more's the pity.

The original X-Com was a delight to play because it was a turn-based strategy game with an atmosphere that reeled you in and kept you hooked for hour after hour! What it was *not* was another generic FPS, and that was the beauty and charm of the game, and of course explained its incredible popularity at the time. It was original and set up a mood that captivated me so much so that I have never forgotten it--and never seen its like since.

What's wrong with these publishers these days? Why does everything have to be so cookie-cutter in concept? They should be looking at the original games and what made them so great instead of simply filching a popular name title just to be able to laminate it with another ho-hum FPS veneer.

If they ever did this game right--it would be a mind bender. So sad.

Sounds like you've somehow got a pre-release copy of the game. Otherwise, how would you know whatsoever whether it is "generic," "cookie-cutter," or "ho-hum?" The mere indication that it is in first-person perspective has nothing to do with that.

One of the most fun aspect of the game was to manage your squad, finances and research. I have yet to see any FPS that achieve that well. Moreover, half the aliens in any X-Com (not flight sim variant) was capable of insta-gibbing your squad or take control over them. Those sort of concept just don't fit very well with FPS and removing those aspects would also decrease the tension you feel during combat.

They are completely just skinning the Bioshock engine... That is the only reason to take a game that people loved because of its mechanics, throw out the mechanics, and then pretend that there was a reason to use that property to begin with.

This.

Its just what they did for BioShock 2: take an existing story pump out more content and dump it into the engine. Now BioShock 2 had really awesome gameplay, but it missed the mark on atmosphere department.

X-Com could be a good FPS and still be true to essence. It would need to take the best elements from tactical squad shooters like Ghost Recon and have a serious dosage of awesome injected into it.

Half of X-com was seriously an awesome isometric turned based squad tactical for its time. Its only competitors was Jagged Alliance in which it presented simplified 2-d plane and strategy elements, and added plenty of sound bytes to fool some gamers into thinking it was somehow X-com with more personality (when it clearly wasn't even good as half of X-com). The other half of X-com involved resource management in ways that had very palpable effects on your tactical game.

So a modern X-Com could 'reinvent' tactical squad shooters and be worthy of the name. However this FPS is headed for FAIL with the lines: "experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride." and hints where you step into the shoes of an FBI agent. If it was, step into the shoes of a base commander, or step into the shoes of many x-com agents, etc. it would have kept a spark of curiosity alive. At this point you might as well step into the shoes of a graduate theoretical physicist...

At least System Shock 3 isn't on the horizon, thank goodness. As much as I'd love a SShock 3, I don't know if there's any developers who'd do it as well as Looking Glass / Irrational back in the day. They'd probably dumb it down, remove the complex RPG bits and make it linear. And then put it underwater. Or something.

For all of you saddened by this news I suggest you try out Silent Storm and the expansion S3 Silent Storm: Sentinels. Unfortunately I can't find a copy of the gold edition for a reasonable price and can't find a new copy of the original game online at all so you might have to find it through other means.

"By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world."

That is utter nonsense, I was plenty scared the first time I moved my men up to a downed Medium Scout (I learned that is what is was later). In fact the only other game that ever truly scared me was System Shock 2. No this sounds like X-Files: X-Com edition. Judging by the car in the screenshot and the retro look of the "object" I am guessing this will be set in the 1950s...I am sorry as much as I would love a proper new X-Com I have no hope for this game as much as I want I just cannot believe this will be X-Com.

Guys, guys! It's another story-driven sci-fi first person shooter! I haven't played enough of those!

You shouldn't knock it so badly. I'm sure it will have a totally new and original "collect giblits to upgrade X totally original human & alien weapons in new and exciting ways to grant huge replay value" instead of that whole complex tech tree+manufacturing+fuel/building/national goodwill+general resource stretching+etc juggling from the original... we might even get plasm..err...I mean alien mutations!

Guys, guys! It's another story-driven sci-fi first person shooter! I haven't played enough of those!

You shouldn't knock it so badly. I'm sure it will have a totally new and original "collect giblits to upgrade X totally original human & alien weapons in new and exciting ways to grant huge replay value" instead of that whole complex tech tree+manufacturing+fuel/building/national goodwill+general resource stretching+etc juggling from the original... we might even get plasm..err...I mean alien mutations!

But that whole complex juggling was part of the fun though.

If this game has "Right hand : Weapon" and "Left hand : Plasm... Psychic power", you going through a long tubes in ocea... space and hacking sto... alien terminals while killing addic... aliens, I would cry.(Note techinically, X-Com agents weren't alien mutants. They had psychic powers.)